Daily Planner

Contest finalist will ring in new year

First Night Springfield 2013 is accepting entries for its Last Song Contest. The social media-based competition is designed to choose a headliner for the First Night Springfield Teen Venue with the following guidelines:

Email a link of your video performance to sarah@itsalldowntown.com by 5 p.m. Nov. 30 with the subject line, First Night's Last Song Contest. Finalists will be chosen by Dec. 3

Encourage people to vote for their favorite performance by liking the videos on the YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/FirstNightsLastSong Dec. 3-14.

The finalist receiving the most votes by midnight on Dec. 14 will win a $500 cash prize and will headline the First Night Springfield Teen Venue. Entries must be appropriate for all ages, and all entrants must be available to perform in person on New Year's Eve.

For a complete list of guidelines, visit www.FirstNightSpringfield.org. The winner will be announced Dec. 17.

Learn how to make chocolate goodies

Askinosie Chocolate, 514 E. Commercial St., is hosting two events that will teach you how to easily prepare treats for your holiday gatherings.

The first takes place 5:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 29 when founder and chocolate maker Shawn Askinosie will demonstrate in three steps how to make rich chocolate truffles with the same techniques he used in a recent class in Tuscany, Italy.

The second is 5:30-8:30 p.m. Dec. 13. In honor of National Hot Cocoa Day, Askinosie will demonstrate a simple recipe to make the best hot cocoa, using Askinosie Chocolate's cocoa powder.

The events feature live music and free samples. Admission is "pay-what-you-can" to raise money for Askinosie Chocolate's youth community program, Chocolate University. Call 862-9900.

Show off those dazzling holiday light displays

The News-Leader is looking for homeowners who would like to share their holiday light displays with others. If you, or someone you know, has a display others would enjoy seeing, we'd love to include it in a map and guide that will run Dec. 9. All submissions are welcome, from cheerfully decorated to over-the-top. To submit your light display, visit News-leader.com/ChristmasLights, or send your name, address, phone number and a photo to Sony Hocklander at shocklander@news-leader.com.

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Daily Planner

First Night Springfield 2013 is accepting entries for its Last Song Contest.